Paris Explosives Lab Investigation Uncovers More Components

Police cordon off a street in Villejuif, a suburb of Paris, on September 6, 2017, as two men were arrested after the discovery of explosives and bomb components at an apartment. (Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images)

The investigation of an explosives lab near Paris has uncovered more explosive components in a nearby cache, two French officials said.

A judicial official said Thursday that more products that can be used to make explosives were found in a lock-up garage rented by one of the three suspects detained in the case.

A police official confirmed the new discovery that was made in Thiais, a suburban city close to the Villejuif apartment where the explosive TATP was found Wednesday.

The two officials with knowledge of the investigation spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb earlier said that the suspects were possibly planning to attack a bank and had made phone calls to unidentified contacts in Syria.

11:10 a.m.

French authorities say three men in custody in a probe into explosives found in a Paris suburb had talked about wanting to target banks and had spoken by phone with someone in Syria.

The Paris prosecutor's office said a third man was detained early Thursday after two others were detained the day before. The prosecutor's office said the men are between 36 and 47 years old but provided no further information.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on Francetvinfo on Thursday that the men apparently wanted to set off explosives in a bank to steal money and had registered phone calls to unspecified people in Syria.

Authorities found TATP, a peroxide-based explosive that has been employed by Islamic extremists, in the apartment in the town of Villejuif. A counterterrorism investigation was opened.